Baltimore County officials said a building at the old Bethlehem Steel plant in Sparrows Point collapsed Monday morning, injuring several workers.

Baltimore County Fire Department Lt. Paul Massarelli said construction crews were in the process of demolishing the five-story mill in the 1500 block of Sparrows Point Road when the roof collapsed while many of the workers were inside. He said all of the workers were able to get themselves out with the help of other employees.

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Baltimore County police and fire services officials initially tweeted that five people were injured. Officials increased the number of injuries to nine by noon.

Massarelli said four workers were taken to Shock Trauma in critical condition, while five others were taken to local hospitals in serious condition. The extent of their injuries was unclear.

Fire officials said because the building collapsed in the middle, also known as a cantilever collapse, lives were most likely spared.

"A cantilever collapse is when the roof will fail in the middle and fall like this, where with a pancake collapse, the whole roof is on top of them. So this way it gave them areas to escape from, where otherwise it would have been -- they probably would not have had a place to escape," Massarelli said.

Fire officials said demolition work on the property has been going on for quite some time, and it's been accident-free.

"This is the first time we've been called over there since they've been dismantling the property," Massarelli said.

When word initially got out about the collapse, nearby Engine 57 responded, along with at least 10 medic units.

As of the end of March, MCM Management out of Michigan had been in control of the demolition of Sparrows Point. SkyTeam 11 captured images of a mill being brought down by explosives at that time.

It's unclear what the workers were doing inside of the building on Monday and what their role was.

MCM officials released the following statement regarding Monday's incident.

"MCM has initiated an investigation into the incident and is working with state and local authorities to determine the cause. MCM is focused on the recovery of its nine workers and asks the public to keep them and their families in their thoughts and prayers."